Preparing and boxing smaller packages for transport is a repetitive task; thus, any small inefficiencies in the process are multiplied over time to become substantial losses of productivity. In the food packaging industry, conveyor belt systems are commonly used to move small packages from packaging machines to be boxed for transport to warehouses or points of sale. As seen in FIG. 1, such conveyor systems are semi-permanently emplaced, require two motors to drive two endless belt systems, and are inefficient. In particular, the standard conveyor systems have a first endless belt that catches a product, such as a bag, which is encouraged to fall forward. The belt conveys the bag up an incline and onto and over a separate hump. The bag passes a sensor, such as an electric eye, which actuates a paddle or bumper to reorient the bag as the bag travels onto a second endless belt. The second belt carries the bag to its destination where it is packed into a box or the like for shipping.
This system, while virtually ubiquitous in the industry, is inherently inefficient. It is cumbersome to navigate, unnecessarily bulky, requires two motors to run two endless belts, and has an excessive number of moving parts, requiring frequent maintenance and even then making it unnecessarily prone to breakdown. Further, this system delivers bags or packages one at a time at a rate that is determined by the dimensions (length) of an individual bag.
Thus, there remains a need for an improved conveyance system for use in moving packed or packaged items to a final boxing destination, and, more generally, for a more efficient industrial conveyor system. The novel technology addresses this need.